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The Urban Experience in Brazil

Overview

  • Credit value: 30 credits at Level 5
  • Convenor and tutor: Professor Luciana Martins
  • Assessment: a 2000-word essay (40%) and 3000-word essay (60%)

Module description

In this module we focus on the spatial imaginations of the urban world in Brazil from the late nineteenth century to the present. Emphasis is on the dynamism of Brazilian cities, exploring the extent to which different worlds have been brought into close proximity within particular urban environments. We will draw on major strands of theorisation on urban spaces and their representations within geography, history, anthropology, architecture and art history. We will also work with visual materials, including photography and film.

Addressing some of the ambiguities and complexities of cities such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasília, topics to be discussed include the legacy of slavery and colonialism; urban modernities; planning and power; spaces of inequality, marginalisation and fear; and the city as an aesthetic and political act.

The module is taught in English, with all material in translation.

Indicative syllabus

  • Introduction: urban imaginaries
  • Modernities on display
  • Urban politics: past and present
  • Gendered spaces
  • Race, place and politics
  • Spatial segregation
  • Geographies of fear and dystopia
  • Alternative visions: reclaiming the city
  • Spaces of utopia
  • The art of Brasília

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • engage with particular spatial imaginations of the urban world in Brazil that presupposes a familiarity with the major cultural, spatial and historical processes which have shaped modern Brazilian space and society
  • reflect critically on contemporary approaches to urban studies
  • use a wide range of potential interdisciplinary resources, becoming familiar with research skills in urban studies from the disciplines of geography, history, anthropology, architecture and art history
  • work with a range of visual materials related to cities, including architecture and landscape design, film, painting and photography.